Ditching-machine.



N0. 68l,857. Patented Sept. 3, I90I. M; L. KINLEN. DITGHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Oct. 4, 1900. (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

f/vl E/vr /r, ML. Kz'nZen.

N0. 68|,857 Patented Sept. 3, IBM. M. L. KINLEN.

DITGHING MACHINE.

(Application filed Oct. 4, 1800.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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rrEI) STATES PATENT CFFICE.

MATHEW L. KINLEN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

DlTCHlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,857, dated September 3, 1901. Application filed October 4, 1900. Serial No. 32,012. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MATHEW L. KINLEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ditching-lvlachines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an implement for excavating sewers or ditches by means of a gang of plows which are closely followed by a large receptacle for the soil plowed up.

The object of my invention is to produce an implement of this kind for cutting trenches in earth free from rock and which will perform as much work with three or four operators as would be done by a large number of men working with picks and shovels.

lVith this object in view my'invention consists of certain novel construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine in operative position, showing the bottom of the ditch in section and the plows in raised position in dotted lines. Fig. 2 isa central vertical longitudinal section of the machine. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the machine with the scraper-box removed. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the plow. Fig. 5 is a detail view, partly in section, of the lever and ratchet for winding up the chains.

The frame comprises the longitudinal bars 2, brought together at the forward end of the machine and secured in any suitable manner. A hook 3 is secured to the front of the frame for engaging the traction-cable used for pulling the excavator forward. The axle 4 of the front carrying-wheels 5 supports one end of a divided platform 6, the other end of which is secured to a cross-bar 7, secured to the frame-bars 2. The platform 6 is bolted to the arched hangers 8, the outer ends of which are also secured to the frame 2. The rear ends of the frame-bars 2 are supported by wheels 9. A transverse shaft 10 is socured to the frame -bars 2, and pivotally mounted on this shaft are three clips 12, to which the three plow-beams 17, which I employ in the larger excavators, are adjustably secured in the well-known manner shown. In the smaller excavators I may omit the middle plowshare 13. As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, the lateral plates or landsides 14 are secured to the outer two plowshares 15, and a vertical shaving-plate 16 is secured to the outer face of each of the landsides for making the sides of the ditch more smooth and plumb than the plows alone would make them. The soil shaved off by these plates falls upon the plowshares and works back into the box 28,which will be described hereinafter. The outer edges of the shares 15 diverge from the rear to the points, so that the width of the ditch or excavation is greater than that of any part of the machine. Bolted t0 the lower ends of the plow-beams 17 is a strong transverse plate,forging, or casting 18, having its ends bent downwardly and bolted to the inner faces of the lower portions of the landsides 14. The shares 13 15 are also bolted to this plate 18. The outer plow-beams are connected by a transverse rod 40. (Shown in Fig. 3.) A transverse plate 19 has up turned end portions secured to the rear of the lower ends of the plow-beams 17 and has a horizontal portion supporting hinge members 20, through which passes the transverse rod 22. The purpose of the upturned ends of plate 19 is for providing a strong fastening to the outer plow-beams. A skeleton frame 23, made preferably of angle-iron, is supported at its forward end by its hinge members 24 engaging the rod 22 and at its rear end by depending arms 25, pivotally secured to it at 26 and to the frame-bars 2, respectively, at 27. The boX 28 rests within this frame 23 until filled, when it is raised by means of a traveling crane and dumped, then lowered again into the frame. The plows 13 15 are raised or lowered by means of a handlever 29, fulcrumed on a transverse shaft 30, secured to standards 32, secured to the frame. The lever 29 is not keyed to shaft 30, but alongside the lever a ratchet-wheel 33 is keyed on the shaft, and on the ends of this shaft two grooved drums 34 are secured. Chains 35 are attached to the drums 34 and to the plow-beams 17. Lever 29 carries a pawl or dog 36, which engages the ratchet 33, and another dog 37 is pivotally mounted at 38 in a knuckle on cross-bar 39, secured to the standards 32. platform 6, and when he pulls the lover to The operator of lever 29 stands ou ward him the plows 13 15 are raised by chains 35. When the lever is released or moved back for another stroke, the dog 37 prevents the plows from falling. lowers the plows, he releases dog 37 with his foot and regulates the descent of the plows by the lever 29. w

The operation of the invention has been indicated in the foregoing description. When the machine is moving backward, the plows 13 15 are of course raised to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. I When the machine is moving forward, the plows are lowered to any suitable depth by operating the lever 29 i and dog 37.

In order to place the machine in a position to successfully cut the ditch, astarting-point i is first arranged by digging down in the earth the depth of the ditch to be cut and the width 1 what I claim as new, and desire to secure by 11 i nected to said shares and supported at its Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a ditch and sewer excavator, a main frame, a transverse shaft near the front end 3 of the frame, plow-beams secured to the shaft,

plowshares secured to the lower ends of the pending arms pivotally secured thereto and to said main frame,substantiallyas described. I

2. In a ditch and sewer excavator, a frame,

a transverse shaft or bar secured near the WVhen the operator front end of the frame, plow-beams secured to the shaft or bar, a transverse plate secured to the lower ends of the plow-beams, plowshares secured to said plate, landside-plates secured to the ends of said plate, and substantially vertical cutting-plates secured to the landside plates, substantially as described.

3. In a ditch and sewer excavator, a gang of plowshares arranged transversely, a transverse plate secured to the lower portions of the plow-beams, a rearwardly-extendin g step or flange on said plate, hinge members secured to said step or flange, and a frame having at its forward end hinge members connected to the hinge members of the step or flange, substantially as described.

4. In a ditch and sewer excavator, a frame, arched hangers having their outer ends se cured to the sides of the frame, a bar'secured across the forward end of the frame, a platform secured to said bar and by the inner ends of the hangers, an axletree secured to the platform, and carrying-wheels on the axletree under said arched hangers, substantially as described.

5. In a ditching-machine, a main frame, a transverse shaft or bar near the front end 1 thereof, plow-beams secured to said bar, plowshares secured to said beams, a rectangular frame having its forward end pivotally 'conrear end by pivoted arms hung from said main frame, and a box, supported by said rectangular frame, said box being open at its end adjacent to said plowshares, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MATHEW L. KINLEN. Witnesses:

M. L. LANGE, K. M. IMBODEN. 

